Daily Pioneer News

UWP students (from left to right) Ryan Holzem, Robert Vater and Sarah Ganser are helping residents of Sherrill, Iowa, with a new wastewater treatment system.

PLATTEVILLE - With less than 200 residents, Sherrill, Iowa, is an exceedingly small rural town in dire need of help preparing for a new wastewater treatment system. The current system utilizes two treatment lagoons, neither of which is meeting Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) standards. Lending a helping hand on this project are University of Wisconsin-Platteville senior engineering students Sarah Ganser, Ryan Holzem and Robert Vater.

Working under the direction of UWP professors Mike Penn, Philip Parker and Max Anderson, the students are planning to combine both lagoons into one large lagoon. This will hopefully maintain a controlled discharge facility which requires less operation and maintenance and is ideal for smaller communities like Sherrill.

Unfortunately, due to elevation constraints, the students must also consider and design for use of a lift station to service the five-acre lagoon. "Sherrill is located on a ridge with a lagoon on each side. We need to develop a design lift system to traverse this ridge, which is approximately a distance of 485 feet, in order to combine the two areas," explained Ganser, who worked on calculating the new lagoon dimensions based on flow measurements.

Elaborated Holzem, "We also need to establish the flow of waste to determine the appropriate pump size for the distance and elevation we're working with. Using SewerCAD design software we were able to model our proposed system for our client making it easier to visualize."

The students must also integrate Iowa DNR codes into every aspect including those referencing sewer systems, wastewater facilities and lagoon designs. "We've specifically utilized codes illustrated in chapters 12, 13 and 18c from the Iowa DNR to verify that the lagoon meets the correct size and dimensions for the design and city's need. These guidelines specify which types of materials to use for construction, requirements for dimensions and even the way in which the system must be tested," said Vater.

One of the biggest challenges the students faced was not having soil sample boring data, requiring them to make assumptions about the bedrock elevations they were working on. Regardless of any adversity they faced, the students agree that the concept of a senior design project is well worth a prospective engineer's time prior to graduation.

"I definitely learned a lot. For instance, when the answer is obvious you really need to look beyond it to see what's actually happening. Many times it's not what you'd expect," commented Holzem.

Added Ganser, "This project emphasizes what engineers do best, we find problems as we go, and have to make assumptions about the unknown in order to find the best solution possible."

"Our education at UWP thus far is a good basis for entering the engineering field, especially with the cumulative project and what we've been able to experience. It's an excellent program for anyone interested in engineering," summarized Vater.

All the students anticipate graduating in December 2006. Holzem is a civil engineering major with an emphasis in environmental engineering. He is the son of Michael Holzem and Lorraine Holzem, both of Cleveland. Vater is a civil engineering major with emphases in geotechnical and construction. He is the son of Robert and Karen Vater, also of Cleveland. Ganser is a double major in civil and environmental engineering with a minor in Spanish. She is the daughter of Ed and Cherie Ganser of Evansville.

Contact: Rob Vater, UWP student,vaterr@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Rachael Lehr, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, lehrr@uwplatt.edu